St. Ignatius doing in a chemistry textbook, an organic one at that? Jesuits, I could understand (quinine is extracted from Jesuits' bark), but Ignatius himself?
"Strychnine, C21H22O2N2, is found in St. Ignatius' bean..." What is a violent poison doing in a bean named for Ignatius? Despite the fact that I've got an impending writing deadline and a couple of dozen exams to grade, I had to know.
Faba Sancti Ignatii were first described by an Austrian Jesuit missioned to the Phillippines in the 17th century, George Kamel, S.J. (his description was published in the Philosophical Transactions in 1699). Later authors speculated the plant was named for Ignatius because of its many medicinal virtues (which they do not list, and about which I'm curious -- I'm having breakfast with a scholar of herbals from this period on Wednesday which may help). These days it forms the basis for a homeopathic nostrum prescribed for grief and melancholia, particularly when associated with an abundance of tears. I wonder if the homeopaths knew of Ignatius' gift of tears?